


Love Square Fluff Week 2020

by LycoRogue



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Love Square Fluff Week 2020, LoveSquareFluffWeek202, Marichat, One-Shots, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, love square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22611229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycoRogue/pseuds/LycoRogue
Summary: Welcome to another episode ofLycoRogue Sucks At Titles! Maybe one day I'll come back and re-name this collection something proper. Until then... Fluff Week!That's right, folks. I'm trying my hand at the Fluff Week event in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. I'm already a couple of days behind, buuuuuut with only six more prompts to go (and just as many days left in the event), I should be fine. You can check out works by other writers over atlovesquarefluffweek.tumblr.com
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 42
Kudos: 31





	1. Music to Heal

**Author's Note:**

> Please check the chapter-specific notes for chapter-specific tags.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug ends up stumbling upon an intimate scene as she stalks by Adrien's home.  
>   
>  **Chapter Tags:** hurt/comfort, grieving, music, piano, innocent voyeurism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Day 1: Concert**  
>   
>  **Spoilers:** None  
>  **Love Square Side:** Ladrien  
>  **Romance Level:** Madly crushing

Marinette knew she shouldn't, but it was hard to resist. She had just finished up with a private interview she – as Ladybug – had promised Alya, and it was just easier to swing home still as Ladybug.

And Adrien's home was right there.

She just needed a quick peek, that was all. Just a small fix, and then she'd be on her way. As she landed on the Agreste fence she quickly scanned Adrien's room to see if he was even home.

He was, and he was at his piano. A soft melody leaked through the floor-to-ceiling windows; a sorrowful song. His eyes were closed, truly feeling the music as his fingers skated across the keys. His head swayed softly in time. He had enchanted his Ladybug in a way he didn't know.

Adrien always seemed so cheerful. It was easy for Marinette to forget how hard his life was. His father rarely had time for him, and his mother had been missing for a year. He struggled to find time to hang with his friends, and was routinely overbooked with activities and work. As Adrien played, it was like he was spilling his own hurt and loneliness onto the keys, and Marinette longed to break in and just hold him; remind him that he wasn't actually alone.

She couldn't though. She was Ladybug, and superheroes didn't do that sort of thing, and clearly Adrien didn't want Marinette to know this side of him. Not that the two of them ever really had a proper chance to talk.

Unsure what to do, but knowing leaving Adrien alone at that moment wasn't an option anymore, Marinette sat on the fence, her yo-yo's camera zoomed in on Adrien so she could better watch him play.

 _I'm simply making sure Hawkmoth doesn't send an akuma to Adrien while he's so sad,_ she told herself. _I'm doing my duty as a superhero; a protector of Paris. Nothing creepy about this at all._

A couple of minutes later, Adrien's shoulders shook in a quiet sob, and a finger slipped, hitting a sour note. He sniffled as he wiped his eyes dry, and Marinette shut her yo-yo.

This was private. This was a quiet moment for him to grieve, and she was invading. She shouldn't have been watching. She needed to leave.

But he was crying. How could she leave him?

Lassoing a spot on his roof, Marinette swung over to Adrien's window, and gently knocked.

Adrien jumped, and quickly moved to open his window. "Ladybug? Is everything okay? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to interrupt, and, uh, sorry if I'm intruding. I was swinging by, and I heard you playing your piano, and- Are you alright?"

Adrien blinked wildly at her. "Yeah. I- why?"

"It was just- it was such a lovely song, but it sounded so sad, and I thought I saw you wipe away tears-" She had no clue what she was doing anymore. She was literally hanging by a thread outside her crush's bedroom window, telling him she saw him cry. She almost yearned for an akuma so she could have an excuse to leave.

"You- you saw that?"

She nodded. "If you need time alone, I understand. I just- I wanted to make sure you're okay. Everything's fine?"

He laughed. It was a sad little chuckle. "Yeah. Sorry to have worried you. I guess I just really missed my mom all of a sudden, and, well, the piano was there."

"Oh. Did she used to play?"

He shook his head. "No, she-" His eyes widened as if he finally truly saw Ladybug. "What am I doing? Do you want to come in? I'm sure you don't want to hold a conversation while just dangling there."

"Come- come in? You want me to come in?"

"Yes. Please."

She swung herself through his window, and he held his hand up to help lower her to the floor.

"Thank you, Adrien," she softly muttered, a blush starting to bleed onto her cheeks.

"Yeah," his blush was starting to match Ladybug's. "Thank you as well, for, ya know, checking up on me."

"So, um, you were telling me about your mom? Not- not that you have to. Only if you want to. If it will make you feel better, I mean."

He motioned for her to take a seat on his sofa, and then sat beside her. "My mom didn't play the piano, but my father does, and I remember her sitting beside him on the piano bench as he played. And when I started learning, she'd sit beside me as I practiced. If I missed a note, she'd run her fingers through my hair, and tell me that I would get it; try again. So I would, and I'd remember that note, and she would just smile this huge grin as she told me she always knew I'd be able to do it." Adrien ran his fingers through his own hair, as if simulating his mom, and thumbed a stray tear away. "When she was sitting with Father, it was the happiest I would ever see him. She'd rest her head on his shoulder, and he would chuckle that he couldn't reach the lower notes with her restraining his arm like that. She'd giggle and tell him that the higher notes were prettier anyway, so he'd only play songs in the upper octaves for her."

"Like you were doing tonight?"

Adrien nodded, and pulled out his phone. Opening the photo gallery, he thumbed over to his album of him and his mom. He showed them to Ladybug. "Thank you for checking in on me. I know you probably weren't expecting to have a sit-down like this to make sure I didn't get akumatized."

She rested a hand on his knee, and gently squeezed it. "Adrien, I- I would- This is no problem at all. I'm happy to be here for you."

"Thank you. This means more to me than you probably know."

Marinette didn't think. She just threw out her arms and pulled him into a hug. She held him just like she did with Chat Noir whenever her kitty needed comforting; whenever he was hurting. It stunned Adrien at first, but he soon melted into the embrace, wrapping his arms around her too.

They sat there, silently, for a few minutes; for as long as Adrien needed. Eventually, he pulled away, and again wiped his eyes dry.

"Thank you again, Ladybug. I feel better now."

"I'm glad, Adrien. I'd never want you to feel like you're alone."

"No." Adrien smiled. "I know I'm not."

"Good." Marinette stood up, and rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder as she passed. She neared the window, then glanced back at the piano. Would Adrien only think of his mother, and that moment of loss every time he saw his instrument? She needed to leave him with a happier memory than that. "Hey, Adrien?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it be rude of me to ask you a favor right now?"

"No." He jumped up and rushed to her side. "No, I'd love to help you any way I can, especially after what you did for me tonight."

"In that case, would it be okay if you played just one more song for me while I'm here? I really enjoyed your playing, and I don't know how often I'd get to hear it."

Adrien's smile slowly grew, and he stood a bit taller as he nodded and practically bounced over to his piano. He gestured to his sofa, then sat at the bench.

Marinette settled in against the arm of the sofa, curled against the back of the seat as Adrien began playing. His right hand rotated through the same three notes hypnotically as his left danced across the rest of the keyboard, mostly staying in the higher octaves, but occasionally jumping down to the lower before skating their way back up the scale. It was still a melancholy song, but it was more upbeat than the one Adrien was originally playing. His eyes closed as he let muscle memory take hold. He swayed to the beat, leaning hard to his left whenever he reached for the lower notes, and bobbing his head to the right as his fingers monotonously rotated between the accenting upper three notes.

It was like he was dancing as he played; lost in the music. Watching him was intoxicating, but Marinette couldn't get a good enough view where she was, so she inched her way off the sofa, trying to not interrupt Adrien's playing. She then crept towards him before leaning on his piano, her head resting in her crossed arms as she dreamily watched him.

While playing his final notes, Adrien slowly opened his eyes, as if waking from a dream. When he spotted Ladybug leaning against his piano, he gave her a grateful little smile.

"Would you like one more?"

She rose her head in surprise. "Do you want to play one more?"

He slid over on the bench, and patted for her to sit beside him. "If you're willing to stick around for a few more minutes."

She scooted onto the bench, fully aware of how close the two of them were sitting.

Adrien began with yet another sad song, but one still more upbeat and hopeful than the previous two. His hands started in the center of the keyboard. Close together. A few simple notes. Solitary chords with no additional melody. Then his left hand shifted slightly, closer to Ladybug, as it continued to play a few chords. His right hand inched further away in the opposite direction, climbing up the keyboard as his fingers flew across the ivories. Then the chorus kicked in, and both hands skipped up and down the keys, each finger hitting a new note in beautiful harmony. Adrien began rocking in time with his arms; once more feeling the music.

Marinette could have cried, herself. All she wanted was to freeze that moment. She wanted it to be her life; her always: just her, and Adrien, and the beauty of that music.

As the song hit its climax and started slowing back down, Marinette rested her head on Adrien's shoulder, nuzzling close to him without thinking about how weird it would be for him. He shifted slightly, looking down at her, before resting his head on hers and finishing the song. The final note lingered in the air as they each memorized the contact they had in that moment.

"I get why this was when Father was happiest."

"Hmm?"

Adrien jumped; breaking the spell between them. "No, nothing. Nevermind."

Marinette studied him. "I hope you're truly feeling better now."

"I am. I really am. Thank you for that, Ladybug."

Reluctantly, Marinette slid off the piano bench, and tapped the baby grand. "Good. I'd hate for you to have sad memories of this and your playing. It truly is a gift, and should bring you joy."

"Trust me, Ladybug, I think I'll only have fond memories from now on."

Another lingering look before Marinette cleared her throat and backed towards the window. "I, uh, I should probably get going though. Thank you for the private concert."

"Anytime," Adrien responded dreamily, or maybe it was just Marinette hoping to hear him speak to her like that.

Bumping into the glass wall, Marinette let out a small "oof" before quickly pivoting and lassoing part of the Agrestes' fence. With a quick salute of a wave, she was out of his window. Out of his room. But their shared moment wouldn't be out of either of their minds for days.

* * *

~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For **Day 3: Flowers** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kept me a while to figure out what to do with the prompt 'Concert', but once I decided on Adrien playing for Ladybug, I was hooked. I don't normally write Ladrien because it's just so hard to get those two together without Damselling Adrien, so I hope this turned out alright. I... I think this is actually my first Ladrien attempt...
> 
> Also, I figured, if I could have [Chat Noir innocently watching Marinette in her room](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14146644/chapters/32603430), then it's only fair game to do the same with Ladybug and Adrien.
> 
> Finally, I stole a page from the story [_Discordant Sonata_ by EdenDaphne](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16211786/chapters/37891172). So, if you would like some mood music, here are the three songs I imagined Adrien playing:
> 
> Song 1: ["Crying Alone" by Jurrivh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvCfm_AjYo)  
> Song 2: ["Lost Love" by Mattia Cupelli](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8MR3Y18wrM)  
> Song 3: ["Nuvole Bianche" by Ludovico Einaudi and performed by Rousseau](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VR-6AS0-l4)


	2. Let Me Help You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir struggles to help Marinette out with a major last-minute project. If only his darn claws weren't in the way.  
>   
>  **Chapter Tags:** paper flowers, crafting, trust, bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I don't know what the word "fluff" means, because I'm now 0 for 2 in properly writing any. :P I keep coming up with great angsty stories with these prompts, so it kept me FOREVER to come up with this one. In truth, I spent most of the day struggling with what to do with the day 2 prompt 'Trust.' In the end, I ended up going with the day 3 prompt 'Flowers' instead. I'll have to circle back to 'Trust'...  
>   
>  **Day 3: Flowers**  
>   
>  **Spoilers:** Minor "Reflekdoll" and "Troublemaker" spoilers  
>  **Love Square Side:** MariChat and secret Adrienette  
>  **Romance Level:** Sweet Friendship

It was late. Adrien probably shouldn't have been out running through Paris as Chat Noir. And Marinette definitely shouldn't have been frantically pacing her room.

The light caught his eye first. He had no clue how late Marinette stayed up, but Chat Noir wasn't expecting her top-floor room to shine like a lighthouse in the otherwise dim quarter of Paris. Then he saw her jump up from her floor, rake her fingers through her hair, tugging strands out of her pigtails, before pacing in a tight circle. She shook her hands out, stretched her arms, then plopped back below her window.

Wanting to check that everything was alright, Chat Noir leapt over to one of Marinette's windows and gently tapped on the pane. Inside, she jumped, wheeling around in every direction before zeroing in on the window. Her face then scrunched in confusion. Chat Noir simply pointed up before climbing to her balcony to wait.

A few seconds later, Marinette opened the skylight hatch to her room and poked her head out. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Marinette blinked at him, so Chat Noir continued. "Sorry. I just saw you pacing, and it's so late-"

"Oh!" Marinette broke eye contact. "No, I- I'm fine."

Chat Noir cocked his head to the side. "Didn't look fine. You sure you're okay? You know you can tell me."

Marinette quickly blinked. "I can? I mean, I do? I mean- Yeah, I know." She gave him an awkward little smile. "Thank you."

"So?"

Marinette sighed, then pulled herself up onto the balcony to sit beside Chat Noir. "Sorry, I'm just such a mess right now." As if it reminded her how literal the statement was, she quickly pulled each half of her hair down, combed it back in place with her fingers, and then re-tied her pigtails.

"Something I can help with?"

"Oh, no. It's late. You probably have superhero-y things to do, or you were heading home-"

Chat Noir held up a hand to pause her. "I offered because I'm free. What's up?"

"It's nothing. I just- I didn't-" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir, I really need to get back to my project. I can't spare any more time." She slid her feet back through the window, but Chat Noir caught her upper arm.

"Hey, hold up. There's no way I'm going to let you shoulder something that's clearly overwhelming you. What can I do?"

Marinette pursed her lips, again hesitating. "Really, I couldn't take up your time with this."

"Marinette." Chat Noir shifted his hand to her shoulder. "Seriously, I want to help. Please let me."

Marinette simply stared at him for a few more seconds. He shrugged in return, encouraging her to open up. Submitting, she audibly exhaled.

"I was supposed to make three-hundred paper carnations for Kitty Section's music video shoot tomorrow, but I just- I ran out of time. Or, I will if I don't get back to it right now."

"How close are you?"

"I think I've finished the first hundred."

"Marinette." His voice was soft; soothing, non-judgmental, and dripping with sympathy for her plight.

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck, a grimace on her face. "Between school, helping out my folks, finishing up my friend Alya's birthday gift, and- and other responsibilities I have, I just-" She shrugged. "Not enough time in a day."

"Why didn't you ask for someone else to make them, or help you make them?"

"We all had our own job for the music video. I couldn't just dump more on them."

"And you can't ask for them to give you a few more days because?"

"Because everyone else is ready for the shoot tomorrow. It wouldn't be fair."

"Okay, and you took on making flowers for the video in the first place because?"

"It's for my friends. How could I say no?"

Chat Noir chuckled. "Okay, so you couldn't say no to a project you didn't have time for?"

"Exactly."

"And you couldn't ask for help."

Marinette shook her head.

"And you couldn't finish the project because you didn't have the time."

"I have even less because I'm talking to you."

"Which is why the one thing you _can_ do is let _me_ help."

"Chat Noir, no."

"Chat Noir, yes." He rested his chin in his hand, trying to give Marinette a suave and debonair glance. "What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help a damsel in distress?"

She rested her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow. "I might be a bit overwhelmed right now, but I'm hardly a 'damsel in distress'."

"Are you a damsel?"

"Well, I mean, technically-"

"Are you currently in distress?"

"I wouldn't put it in those words exactly."

"Then you are a damsel that is currently distressing: aka, a damsel in distress. And it is my duty to assist any way I can."

"Chat Noir-"

"Come on," he gestured towards the window, "show me the way. Let's make those flowers."

They stared each other down. Clearly no one told Marinette that you can't beat a cat in a staring contest. Finally, she caved, and waved him to follow her inside.

A rainbow of crepe paper scattered across the floor, and a mountain of green pipe cleaners were stacked on top of Marinette's chaise. A large cardboard box was butted up against Marinette's floral trunk. Over half of the box was still empty.

Chat Noir whistled at the daunting task before them. "Okay. So, how do we make these paper flowers?"

Marinette sighed again before kneeling among her nest of paper. She gestured for Chat Noir to join her. Then, she peeled a piece of crepe paper off her stack, handed it to Chat Noir, and peeled another off for herself.

"First, we need to cut the overall paper down to about twelve centimeters, then we need to fold it accordion-style like this, five times." She showed him about how large each fold needed to be, then cut the excess off. She then showed him how to cut the folds to make a stack of sheets, and folded accordion-style again. Finding the center of her accordioned stack, Marinette tied on the end of a pipe cleaner, leaving the majority tailing below like a stem. Once secured, she fanned open each side of her stack, then slowly unfolded and fluffed each layer until it looked like a full carnation.

Nodding that he understood how to help with the craft, Chat Noir cut his own section of crepe paper, and started folding. Marinette was half way done with her next flower before Chat Noir finished his initial five folds; taking care not to rip anything with his claws. She was done with two more flowers by the time he started tying on the pipe cleaner.

Marinette chuckled.

"What?" He pouted at her, and delicately began to unfurl the sheets of thin paper.

"Nothing." She smirked as she shook her head and refocused on her own works.

"No, what is it?"

"Nothing. It's just-" She shrugged. "I dunno. It's amusing to see you sitting in my room, doing crafts with such concentration and care." She shrugged again before fluffing her current flower.

"Yeah, I guess it is kind of- Shoot!" Chat Noir looked down at his nearly completed first craft. His claw had torn right through one of the petals. "So sorry, Marinette. Can we save it?"

Marinette's tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she inspected the flower. She fluffed the other petals, and finished the side Chat Noir was working on. "It's not perfect, but maybe if they tuck it in the back of the shoot no one will notice."

Exhaling, Chat Noir nodded, and started on his next flower. For every three Marinette could finish, Chat Noir barely completed one. He was so careful with his claws, but he still kept snagging the paper, asking Marinette for help each time.

"I thought you were supposed to be the one helping me," she joked as she fixed another flower. "We can't keep too many more of these, or there won't be a point in having the full three-hundred." She scrunched her face to the side as she thought.

Chat Noir leaned heavily on his crossed legs, his chin in his hands as everything about him deflated a bit. His assistance was becoming more of a bother to Marinette than any sort of aid. He had to find a way to make it right. "What if I fold the paper, and you fluff it into a flower? Then I can't tear it."

They tried that for a couple more flowers, but it still didn't help. Making sure he didn't tear the paper when folding it in the first place took just as long, and Marinette would still manage to get one of her own flowers made by the time Chat Noir handed his project to her.

"I'm sorry, Chat Noir. I appreciate you trying, but this isn't really helping much." She chewed her lip as she tucked the scissors by her thigh, keeping them from Chat Noir as he tried to start up another sheet of crepe paper.

"It's because of these claws." He looked down at his gloved hands and wished he could retract the extended nails. "If I didn't have them I wouldn't have to worry about the paper being so thin."

"I know. It's not your fault." She reached out and patted his knee. How did she become the one to comfort him? "I really am grateful that you offered. It means the world to me."

"Yeah, but you still have so many to make and-" He looked around her room. It was late, and Marinette was already starting to yawn. He couldn't leave her to handle all of this on her own. Maybe he could show up to the shoot the next day with his own box of the flowers? He could do them a lot faster as Adrien than he could as Chat Noir.

That wouldn't work. Adrien wouldn't have known that Marinette needed help with the flowers, she'd probably be embarrassed that he covered for her like that, and it wouldn't stop her from trying to finish them that night, even if she had to pull an all-nighter. Adrien wouldn't be able to help her any better than Chat Noir could.

Or, could he?

Chat Noir's eyes lit up as he spotted some clothes Marinette had piled in the corner of her room. Her pink gym bag was tucked under her vanity sink to her left. This part of Paris was comparatively dark, and Marinette's room was fairly high up.

Plagg was going to hate this plan. So would Ladybug – if she ever found out.

"I've got an idea!" Chat Noir jumped up, skirted the paper carpeting the floor, and grabbed Marinette's gym bag. "Marinette, what are the largest pieces of clothing you own?"

"My largest-? Why do you need-?"

"I can't help you because my claws are in the way." He held up his hands to showcase his artificial nails. "But, if I didn't have them-"

"No! No way! Nuh-uh." Marinette was also on her feet now. "You can't transform back! I can't know who you are! No one is supposed to know!"

"And you won't know. It's fairly dark outside, so I'll take some of your clothes, go to your balcony, transform back, change into your clothes so my own can't give you clues on who I am, and if I wear a mask as well, you'll be none the wiser. Do you have a Halloween mask I could also borrow? Or a pillowcase you no longer use and wouldn't mind eye-holes in?"

"Are you serious right now?"

Puffing out his chest, and crossing his arms in front of it, Chat Noir gave a single nod. "Marinette, you are putting too much on your shoulders. I said that I am here to help, and I will. I've figured out how to keep my identity a secret, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is what if I figure out who you are?"

"You won't."

"What if I look when you're detransformed?"

"You won't. I know you won't."

That stopped her for a couple of seconds.

"Okay, well, what if the mask falls off?"

"Then you won't look until I put it back on, and I'll pay attention to whether or not it's coming loose."

"What if-?"

"No. You said so yourself. Time is of the essence, and there's still a ton of flowers to be made. We don't have the time to waste on you arguing with me. I know you won't look, I know you want to keep my secret safe, and I know that we can get these things done in just a few hours if I do this. So let me do it."

Another stare down. Marinette again lost. Probably because of how tired she already was.

"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy," Marinette muttered as she rummaged through the trunk. She tossed him a pair of black pants, and a black sweatshirt. She then walked over to a pile of fabric she had tucked over by her desk.

"Thematic. I like it." Chat Noir held the pieces up against him to make sure they'd fit.

"Here." She motioned for Chat Noir to hunch down, and when he complied, she wrapped a strip of black fabric around his eyes. "Keep your eyes closed for a second, and let me know if I press too hard."

"What are you-?" Chat Noir felt pressure along the side of his nose, then on the other side. In a flash the blindfold was off his head. Marinette then cut the fabric, starting at the chalk mark she had made when she measured his nose.

Once done, she slipped the mask back on him. "Can you see alright?"

Chat Noir adjusted it slightly before giving her a thumbs up. Making sure Marinette didn't have time to argue further with him, Chat Noir quickly scooped the pants and shirt up, shouldered her gym bag, and jumped to her rooftop.

"What are you doing?" Plagg scolded once Adrien detransformed.

"I'm helping out Marinette." Adrien pulled out a wedge of Camembert, and tossed it to Plagg before stripping out of his clothes.

"Ladybug isn't going to like this." Plagg gulped the cheese down in one bite.

"Which is why she's not going to find out." Plagg quirked an eyebrow at him. "Come on, Plagg, I thought this through. Marinette isn't going to figure me out, and even if she does, she'll keep it to herself. It will be fine." The pants and shirt fit perfectly, as if they were made for him. Adrien wondered for a passing second why Marinette had clothes that fit him so well, but focused instead on the task at hand.

"I hope you really do know what you're doing," Plagg whimpered. He then zipped over to Adrien and started mussing up his hair.

"Oh! Right! I forgot about that." Adrien shook out his hair, then slid his homemade mask on. Now donning his makeshift superhero suit, he tucked all of his belongings inside Marinette's gym bag, and hid the bag under the lounge chair she kept on her balcony. As he did so he spotted his ring. Marinette had seen Adrien's ring before. She also studied his look for her own design inspiration, so she'd probably recognize his Miraculous while it was deactivated. He couldn't chance tucking it in the bag, not after the Reflekdoll fiasco. He had to make sure he could transform on a moment's notice.

"What are you doing?" Plagg hissed as Adrien began pulling his ring off.

"I can't let her see it. She might figure out I'm Adrien this way."

"Told you this was a bad idea."

"Don't worry, Plagg. I'm not going anywhere without my Miraculous again. I promise." He tucked the ring in his front pocket and patted it. "See? Safe and sound."

Plagg simply glared. Ignoring him, Adrien double checked his mask was secure before padding back to the skylight in his stocking feet.

"Back." Adrien climbed down the ladder and took his spot on the floor across from Marinette.

She snorted down a laugh, and then another, before she finally let herself giggle.

"What?"

"You look ridiculous, Chat Noir."

"Yeah, maybe, but you don't know who I am, do you?"

She studied him for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I guess you got me there."

"Exactly. So," he clapped and rubbed his hands together, "ready to see how quickly I can actually make these flowers?"

She handed him the scissors with a playful smile. "Care to race to see who can make them fastest?"

"Well that's just not fair," he protested, "you've had more practice!"

"Oh, don't be a sore loser before we even start," she teased.

He prepped his paper; she hers, and the race was on. She beat him easily, and he challenged her to a rematch. She again won. And again. And again. And again. The two began laughing as they sped through the project, the piles of paper and pipe cleaners slowly dwindling.

Along with their races – which eventually died off; Chat Noir just could not overtake Marinette's mad crafting skills – the two began to just chat. They avoided anything terribly personal on Chat Noir's part, and he didn't bother asking anything too telling on Marinette's side as well. It was only fair that if he kept his secrets, she could keep hers.

They talked about how the weather was a lot more mild than they were expecting, and how skilled Kitty Section was for an up-and-coming band. Marinette told Chat Noir the concept Nino came up with for the music video, and that the paper carnations were going to be used to make the band members look more like dolls living in a child's imagination.

As the night wound on, Chat Noir and Marinette shifted along her floor, searching for more comfortable positions. Eventually, they ended up side-by-side with their backs against the chaise; the pile of pipe cleaners tucked between their hips, and a small stack of paper to each of their sides.

"And three-hundred." Marinette declared as she finished fluffing the last of the tied-off crepe paper. "I can't believe we did it!" She pulled out her phone. "And it's only about one-AM. I could actually get some sleep tonight!"

Chat Noir smiled as he watched her pack up the box, quadruple-checking the number of flowers they had made. They were both a bit exhausted, but it wasn't anything he hadn't gotten used to as Chat Noir. Still, the over-tired giddiness in Marinette's voice was infectious. Plus, the sleepy wobble to her steps was kind of adorable.

"Aren't you glad you let me help you, then?"

She turned to him with heavy eyes, and a drowsy smile. Slowly, with a little bob to her head, she nodded. She was clearly minutes away from passing out. Chat Noir wanted to scoop her up, and tuck her into bed. That was probably a bit _too much_ help for one night, though.

"Yeah. Thank you for pushing for me to accept your offer. You truly are my hero." She toddled over to him, stretched up onto her tip-toes, and pecked a kiss on his cheek.

His cheeks instantly burned with a flash of a blush. Clearing his throat, he skipped away from Marinette, and bent down behind her chaise. When he stood back up he had one more paper carnation in his hand.

"Oh no!" Marinette squeaked. "Did I miss one? I could have sworn I counted right." She whipped her head over her shoulder, looking at the box.

"No no. This was an extra one," he twirled the pipe cleaner stem between his fingers before holding the pink paper flower out for Marinette. "For you."

"Me?"

He nodded. "For the fun evening. For... for teaching me a fun new craft. For the temporary costume. For letting me help. For... I dunno, for being you. I don't know if your friends realize how much effort you put into your relationships, and it was amazing to see. So, to remind you how amazing you are-." He let the sentence die on his tongue as he again gestured for her to take the flower.

It was her turn to blush as she took the flower from him. Staring at it instead of Chat Noir, Marinette also twirled the flower stem in her fingers, watching the flower spin hypnotically.

While she was distracted, Chat Noir leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, startling her to catch his eyes with her own. He gave her a playful wink and pulled away. "Your friends are really lucky people to have found you. Always stay as fantastic as you are now. And don't forget to ask for help as well sometimes, 'kay?"

Dumbly, she nodded, and watched Chat Noir climb up to her roof. With a quick solute-wave, he climbed through her window.

He pulled her gym bag out from under the chair, and stared at his clothes tucked inside. He had dozens of those shirts, and the jeans and shoes were easy enough to replace. Would it be all that bad to "accidentally" leave them all behind and just transform with Marinette's costume still on?

"Psst," Plagg hissed at Adrien, "did you fall asleep? What's the hold-up?"

No. As great as it would be for Marinette to know who Chat Noir truly was, he couldn't betray Ladybug's trust like that. He also couldn't chance putting Marinette in danger, no matter how much he had faith that she wouldn't say anything to anyone.

"So much for having someone new to talk to about the superhero thing," he muttered to himself before sliding his ring back on, stripping out of his loaner costume, and pulling his own clothes on. Tucking Marinette's clothing inside her bag, he dropped it onto her bed, and transformed back into his proper Chat Noir costume.

A couple of seconds later, he heard Marinette climb into bed and whisper "Goodnight, Chat Noir."

"Goodnight, Princess," he whispered back. Then he headed home, trying to come up with an excuse for Adrien to also make a paper flower for Marinette.

* * *

~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For Tomorrow's Prompt: **Trust** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even after deciding to focus on the prompt 'Flowers' instead, I struggled. So much for using my softer work day today to catch-up... Eventually I just thought back to the Kyoru Week prompts, and my stories for them. One of them was based on the paper flower Kyo gave Tohru in his first real attempt to let her know his feelings. I decided to steal that scene and rework it for the Love Square. Somehow along the way it became MariChat instead of Adrienette, and I milked all of the sweet romance out if it, leaving a quiet moment between friends instead. Ya know, because I'm good at this whole "fluff" thing. 9_9
> 
> Buuuuut it was 2am on the 10th, and I only had one story up for Fluff Week, so I just ran with what I had.
> 
> Finally, of COURSE I ironically luck my way into including the 'Trust' prompt in this, so the story is kind of both 'Flowers' and 'Trust', but I'm still going to try to go back and write a story/chapter specifically centered around the 'Trust' prompt.


	3. I Have Something To Confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****SPOILER WARNING: THIS SUMMARY INCLUDES SEASON 3 SPOILERS****  
>   
>   
>  Now that she's the Guardian of the Miraculous, Ladybug has a lot to confess.  
>  **Chapter Tags:** confessions, bonding, kinda hurt/comfort again, partnership

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise surprise... I didn't think of anything until about 9pm, so once again I didn't publish anything until after 2am.
> 
> Also... yeah... I know... kinda angsty again. I don't know why writing pure fluff has been so hard for me this week. I've done it in the past. I've written fanfics so fluffy and pure I warned that readers might need to set up dentist appointments to make sure their teeth didn't rot. Something about this week though, man...  
>   
>  **Day 2: Trust**  
>   
>  **Spoilers:** Desperada, Feast, Chat Blanc, and Miracle Queen / Season 3 spoilers  
>  **Love Square Side:** LadyNoir  
>  **Romance Level:** Sweet Friendship

The apartment remained dark; still vacant. Ladybug wasn't sure if she preferred that to someone else living there. Someone else making it theirs. Making it no longer his.

"Evening, M'lady." Chat Noir landed beside Ladybug on the building across from the empty apartment. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting a late-night meet-up. What's up? What are we doing here?"

"Chat Noir," Ladybug's voice was soft; solemn. "You know I've hated keeping secrets from you, right?"

"Yeah. Of course I do. What's going on?" He inched closer, but kept his hands to his sides, unsure what kind of comfort she would need yet.

"I'm the Guardian of the Miraculous now, and so many secrets have already been revealed to you, like who the other Miraculous holders were. But, I wasn't the one who got to let you know that, and neither did Master Fu. You had to find out because of Hawkmoth, and I hate that. I should have told you, or Master Fu."

"It's okay, Ladybug. I have to admit I hated that you were trusted enough to know, but I wasn't. I also hated that you were able to pass out Miraculouses, but I couldn't choose a hero. But I get it. I understand why. I'm not mad at you, or at Master Fu." This time he rested his hands on her shoulders, squaring her in front of him so she could see how sincere he was.

"Even so." She turned, and Chat Noir reluctantly let go so she could. "There should only be one secret between us, and that's who we really are. No others. Hawkmoth still managed to find out who the other holders were even when Master Fu and I were the only ones who knew, and he didn't even learn from either of us. So, from now on, you're going to know too. I promise."

"Thank you. That means so much to me, but-" Chat Noir looked around him. It wasn't often that they fought in this particular part of Paris, and there wasn't a monument nearby. There didn't seem to be anything terribly significant about the spot, but it also wasn't terribly secluded. "Why did you ask me here? This address?"

Ladybug pointed across the street, to the empty apartment. "You see the one that's dark?"

"Yeah. The one with the flower box?"

Ladybug didn't even notice that. She was so focused on what was missing from the inside of the apartment, she didn't even see the flowers still growing on the small balcony outside the living room windows. They were a bit wild since no one had properly cared for them for nearly a month now, but still, they grew. They had lived on even without a guiding hand. She suddenly had a touch more faith that she could do the same.

"That apartment used to be Master Fu's."

Chat Noir did a double take. Master Fu had lived there. That was where the Guardian of the Miraculous was. That apartment was where Ladybug would disappear to in the middle of their battles in order to bring a new hero into their fold. Suddenly, the apartment felt so surprisingly close to his own home.

"You knew where he lived?"

Ladybug nodded. "I'm sorry we never told you. It wasn't fair."

"The whole time?"

"What? No!" Ladybug flailed her arms around, crossing them wildly. "No no no. Not the whole time. I didn't even know there was a Guardian at first. I was just as clueless as you when I first got my Miraculous. No, I only found out after Volpina attacked."

"Still." Chat Noir crouched down, perched like a cat as he stared across at Master Fu's former apartment.

"I know." Ladybug sat beside him, her fingers digging into the cement roof ledge. "It was still a long time that I knew and you didn't."

"I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Guardian of the Miraculous until Syren."

"I know, and I'm so sorry."

"Why did Master Fu bring you to his home, but not me?" Chat Noir glanced over, his eyes wide, sad, and pleading.

Ladybug gently squeezed his forearm. "If it's any consolation, he didn't bring me to his home. My kwami did."

"But why? My kwami never had me come here to meet Master Fu. In fact, I only officially met him when he came to my house."

"He- he came to _your_ house? How? Wouldn't that have given himself away?"

Chat Noir blinked. He didn't realize he had a secret from Ladybug (aside from the identity thing).

"I- I can't really say how. Secret identity stuff, but no one I live with seems to have questioned it."

Ladybug nodded. "Master Fu probably knew what he was doing. I'm glad he did finally talk with you, but I'm sad that you two weren't able to interact more." Refocusing on the apartment, she tried to figure out what exactly she could tell Chat Noir without potentially giving him a clue as to who she was.

"As for why my kwami brought me here, there is this book. A spell book. It explains the Miraculous and the other powers they each possess: the transformations, as well as how our normal powers could evolve once we're stronger."

"A- a book? About the Miraculous?" Chat Noir grew pale. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what book Ladybug was talking about.

"It is written in a language that only Guardians can read, so my kwami couldn't decipher it. She knew that Master Fu would want the book back, though, so when I found it she told me where to find him."

Plagg had seen the book. He knew that Adrien was carrying it around all day. He never once mentioned Master Fu or even that there was a Guardian that was looking for it.

Maybe it wasn't the same book. Maybe there was another one that had pictures of superheroes and written in a language he didn't recognize. He didn't know that many languages; it was possible.

"You said you found the book?"

Ladybug nodded. "In a trash can in the Place des Vosges. I- I found it when I went there to yell at Lila for lying on the Ladyblog about knowing me. That must have been how she was able to have the Fox pendent replicated."

Lila? That's why Adrien didn't have the book when he went home that day? She had taken it? He wanted to believe that Ladybug was mistaken, but it did add up, and Lila proved herself untrustworthy on multiple occasions. Still, his father got the book back, didn't he? One of Adrien's classmates returned it, didn't they? Was that Lila? Why would Ladybug give it back to her to return? Did she force her to? Why did his father get the book back in the first place, didn't Master Fu need it?

"Chat Noir? Are you okay?" Ladybug began rubbing his back, bringing him back to present. "I know, this is a lot, isn't it?"

He nodded. "So, do- do you have this book now? Do you know how to read it?"

"Well, I sort of do." Ladybug turned back to the apartment building across the street. "For reasons I can't really talk about because, ya know, secret identities and all that, the book was returned to the man who had it before Lila: Gabriel Agreste. That was why he became The Collector; he was mad that the last gift his wife gave him went missing: the book."

Chat Noir sank; his shoulders felt heavy. It was the same book. Nothing made sense anymore. More questions flooded his mind.

"Wait. Is that why you thought that he could be Hawkmoth? Because he had a book about the Miraculous?"

Ladybug nodded. "Plus, you have to admit there was a lot of other circumstantial evidence that would have fit. I'm glad I was wrong, but it would have also been nice to have found Hawkmoth and finally stopped him." She laid back across the rooftop, counting off the dozen stars that were bright enough to cut through the light pollution. "Master Fu took pictures of the pages before we returned the book, and then he translated the digital copy. I guess after we defeated Feast, and Master Fu told me he wanted to train me to be the next Guardian, he must have made a duplicate of his digital copy of the spell book. I have that, and a way to translate it. I have to be careful that no kwami sees it though. It's super important that they never learn how to read the book or discover its contents."

"It is? Still? I thought there were no more secrets now."

Ladybug sat back up so she could meet Chat Noir's eyes. "We have to keep this one. The book explains everything, including the ingredients for the power-up potions. What if a kwami finds that out? What if Hawkmoth's or Mayura's kwamis knew how to make the potions? It may not be a concern for our kwamis now, but what if some future Ladybug or Chat Noir gets corrupted and orders their kwami to tell them that info? What if we let any of the other kwamis find out, and then Hawkmoth captures them?"

"You always have a reason for your secrets." There was a bitterness in Chat Noir's voice.

She placed a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder; it was stiff. "I'm sorry. I really am, but this is for everyone's safety; now and in the future. Please understand. I'm telling you because I wanted to show you the spell book. I wanted you to know what I do in case something comes up and I can't tell you the information when you need it. We're partners, Chat Noir, and I want us to be more equal in that partnership, but you need to understand how important certain secrets are."

Chat Noir scanned her face, taking in all of her sincerity. He rested his hand on top of hers, and gave it a little squeeze. "Nah, I get it. I do. I'm sorry I'm acting like this. You don't like lies, and I don't like being left out – or for others to be left out. I've had too much of that in my life. But you're right. Some secrets are important to keep."

"Thank you, Chat Noir."

Ladybug then took her yo-yo off her hip, and swiped a finger up the side like she were about to capture an akuma. The yo-yo opened up into a transdimensional pocket; a glowing endless pouch. Reaching in, she pulled out a flash drive. "Here. This is your copy of the spell book. Make sure no one can find it."

"Thank you, Ladybug. I'll keep it safe. I promise."

"I know you will."

Chat Noir accepted the drive, and tucked it inside one of his zipper pockets.

"There's something else. You saw Nino Lahiffe with the other Miraculous holders, but he wasn't transformed."

"He's Carapace, isn't he?"

Ladybug nodded. "I had a feeling you were able to figure it out, but I wanted to make sure: no more secrets... aside from the one we need to keep from each other."

"Thank you, Ladybug."

"Oh! Also-" This last secret pained her the most to tell. It was one thing when only she and Master Fu knew who a Miraculous holder was, but to confess a civilian knew? "About Viperion."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm sure you noticed that he wasn't Adrien Agreste after all. His name is Luka. I tried to give the Snake bracelet to Adrien, but- but he- I never realized it because of how Second Chance works, but he told me that he tried being the Snake superhero Aspik nearly twenty-five-thousand times. We kept failing as a team, and he'd reset time to try again, and it never worked. He gave up the Miraculous." Ladybug winced. She was dreading the next part.

"Luka ran up to check to see if we had found Adrien," she continued, "and I needed to find someone to wield the Miraculous. I hadn't learned about merging two powers yet, so I thought neither you nor I could use Second Chance. It was actually Adrien who suggested I give the Miraculous to Luka. He was the one who chose, not me, and he knew who Viperion was. I mean- he went to go hide before I officially handed the bracelet to Luka, and so it's possible he thinks Luka also failed or that I didn't listen to him and Viperion is someone else entirely, but that's not the kind of person Adrien is. He chose well. He saw exactly who we needed that day, and I don't think we would have been able to defeat Desperada if Adrien hadn't picked Luka to help."

Chat Noir gawked at Ladybug, so she took his hands in hers.

"I am so so sorry, Chat Noir. It was wrong for me to let a civilian help me choose a Miraculous holder instead of you. I should have tracked you down and talked to you instead. And to let Adrien know who – besides Chloe, of course – had a Miraculous? It's inexcusable, and I hope you can forgive me. But that's it. That's all of the secrets I have left between us."

"Aside from the obvious."

"Yes. Aside from that. So, please, could you forgive me?" Ladybug squeezed his hands tighter, pleadingly.

Chat Noir remembered what it felt like, when Ladybug pulled him – well, _Adrien_ him - into that tight hug on his sofa the night he was missing his mother terribly. He felt that weight lift off him again; that same sense of relief.

Ladybug looked close to tears, probably scared to have ruined their partnership when she handed him – Adrien him – the Snake bracelet, and let him choose who should wield it instead. It _was_ a very un-Ladybug-like thing to do, but he was just so elated that she valued Adrien that much that he didn't think much of it.

Clearly Ladybug thought often of that moment, and she desperately needed the same relief she had given Adrien just a week before. He tugged gently on her hands, and pulled her into a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, and let his head slowly sink into her hair, nuzzling her a little with his cheek.

"It's okay, Ladybug. I get it. I'm not mad, and if you could trust Adrien, then I will too. I'll even take special care to watch over him to make sure Hawkmoth can't get to him, okay?"

"You don't have to-"

"No. It's okay. You are the Guardian of the Miraculous. Let me be the Guardian of Adrien Agreste." Chat Noir felt bad about manipulating her like this, especially when she truly did have so much extra piled on her plate now, and all he was promising to take off it was to watch his own back.

Meanwhile, Ladybug wondered if this was how Chat Noir found out who she was and became Chat Blanc. She wasn't sure how far into the future it truly was that he was akumatized, just that it all started when Adrien discovered who she was. If the Chat Noir of that timeline also watched over Adrien, and found out that way....

It didn't matter. Adrien didn't know who she was, so Chat Noir was safe. She held him tight, praying that he'd forgive her this one final secret between them.

"Thank you, Chat Noir. Thank you for having so much faith in me, and for forgiving me so easily."

"There's nothing to forgive, Bugaboo. It means a lot to me that you told me all of this." Chat Noir wished he had some crepe paper and pipe cleaner on him so he could make Ladybug a flower, just as he had done for Marinette over the weekend. Didn't matter. Ladybug never liked accepting flowers from him anyway. So instead he just held her for as long as she needed in order to know that he wasn't going to abandon her.

They were partners, and she was his lady. Nothing would ever change those two facts in his heart.

Ladybug lingered in Chat Noir's arms. She didn't want to lead him on, but it felt too nice to push him away, or to let go of him. He wasn't mad. He understood, all of it, and he accepted it as well. She couldn't have asked for a better partner.

With one last burst of strength, she tenderly squeezed him close to her, breathing in his warmth and compassion. She never before noticed how familiar he smelled. If only she could peg how she knew that scent.

* * *

~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For Day 5 Prompt: **Comfort** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rarely write in third-person omniscient (usually sticking to either first-person or third-limited), so if I'm head-hopping in this, please let me know.
> 
> This "chapter" is the first one I officially tied to the other two, and, much like with my last short, this could have been both the Day 2 prompt of 'Trust' and the Day 5 prompt of 'Comfort'. For this go, I was mostly focusing on 'Trust' so I still need to write up something specifically focused on 'Comfort', despite it being an underlying theme throughout this series of one-shots. Hopefully I can get something written at a decent hour tomorrow...


	4. Playing House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finally has a day to spend with his friends, but Marinette can't join in on the fun because she has to babysit Manon. Alya thinks they can do better than that...  
>   
>  **Chapter Tags:** babysitting, Manon Chamack, Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, friend bonding, naps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, I'm about a week late for this prompt, and a weekend overdue on the event itself, but Life kinda sucks at times, and I'm determined to get all 7 prompts done. I'm going to try to get a new one done every 2 or 3 days, if not daily. I only have 3 more to go, so I should have no trouble getting the full set of prompts done before the month is out. Consider it extended Valentine's Day.  
>   
> Also, I think I was able to crank up the Fluff a touch in this. Still not as fluffy as a lot of the stories I read, or even some I've written in the past, but I'm getting further out of the Angst realm. That's a start, right?  
>   
>  **Day 5: Comfort**  
>   
>  **Spoilers:** _Major_ \- Miracle Queen/ML Season 3 finale spoiler  
>  _Minor_ \- Sandboy spoiler, Puppeteer 2 spoiler, and Startrain spoiler  
>  **Love Square Side:** Adrienette  
>  **Romance Level:** Sweet Friendship

"What do you mean you can't come?" Alya whined into the phone, she then turned it to show Nino talking to Adrien past her shoulder.

"Sorry, Alya. You know I would love to do nothing more than hang out with you guys – especially Adrien," Marinette dreamily cooed, "But I'm watching Manon again, and after that whole Puppeteer incident, I should probably make sure she gets my full attention this time."

"But Adrien is actually out of the house." Alya dropped her voice so he couldn't overhear her, and practically hissed through the video call.

"I know," Marinette whined. "Trust me, I want to, but I really can't."

"You need to learn how to say no, girl, and I don't mean to me."

Marinette gave a half-smile. "I know, but Mrs. Chamack really needed me. What was I supposed to tell her, that she couldn't go to work?"

"Marinette!" Manon whined off screen behind her. "Play with me!"

"Coming. Sorry, Alya, I have to go." Marinette waved goodbye before ending the call.

Alya pocketed her phone and walked back to the boys.

"Alya? Something wrong?" Nino walked over, reaching out a hand for hers.

"Nothing. Marinette won't be joining us. She has to babysit again."

"But-" Nino gestured towards Adrien. Alya simply held up a hand and shook her head.

"That's a shame." Adrien glanced down at his phone, wondering if he should call Marinette, or maybe text her to let her know she'd be missed. It was a bit of a double-edged sword though, as he knew well. It always made him feel better that his friends missed him when he couldn't hang out, but it also made him realize what he was missing out on. He couldn't rub salt in the wound on her.

Alya elbowed Nino and nodded over towards Adrien. "Yeah," she said with a hint of mischievousness. "It really is a shame, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Adrien nodded, and then began retreating from his friends, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, have fun, you two."

"Wait. 'Have fun'? Where are you going?" Nino asked.

Adrien thumbed behind him. "Without Marinette hanging out with us, I figured maybe you two would want to make this into a date or something. I didn't want to intrude-"

"No way!" Alya hooked an arm around Adrien's and dragged him forward again. "We're friends too, aren't we? What, you can't hang out with me without Marinette around?" She winked at him, making him laugh.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to imply that we aren't friends. I just thought-"

"Dude, you're out of the house! We can't let an opportunity like this to slip." Nino took Adrien's other arm, and the couple playfully pulled Adrien along with them. "So, what should we do?"

Alya's phone buzzed. She pulled it out and stared bewildered at it. "Another video call from Marinette?" She opened it, and saw Manon's face fill the screen. The Dupain-Cheng's living room was a blur behind her as the girl sprinted around it. Off screen, Marinette yelled for Manon to give the phone back.

"Alya?" Manon chirped when she noticed the video call was answered. "Alya! Come play with us!"

"Manon?" Alya held the phone out for the boys to also see it, shrugging. "Why do you have Marinette's phone?"

"She's no fun. I'd rather play with you- hey!" Manon had slowed down enough for Marinette to catch up and snatch the phone back.

"Sorry, Alya. Ignore us. Have fun, okay?" She gave a sheepish grin before turning to scold Manon as she hung up the video call.

"Wow. That looked rough. I feel bad for Marinette." Adrien knit his eyebrows, wondering what he could do to help this time.

"Sorry, boys," Alya pulled away from them and took a few steps backward. "Looks like she really needs my help. I'm gonna have to flake."

"We could help," Nino offered.

"Nah, you two have a guy's day or something. Nino, I'll catch ya later?"

Nino nodded, and Alya blew him a kiss goodbye as she started jogging over to Marinette's.

"Is that what having a younger sibling is like?" Adrien cocked his head to the side, sincerely curious.

Nino shrugged. "My little dude can be a handful at times, but Manon is a ball of energy on a whole new level. Frankly, it's like Alya's little sisters were training for her to be able to handle Manon. She's amazing with kids, isn't she?" He looked vaguely in the direction Alya had jogged off.

"I feel bad that there isn't anything we could do to help Marinette. She looked really stressed in that video call."

Nino smirked, then tried to fix a poker face a second later. "You wanna head over anyway? Manon seemed manageable when all four of us were watching her, and I bet Marinette would love the help."

Adrien lit up. "Yeah! Let's go. We have to make the most of me getting out of the house, right? So might as well hang out with as many friends as I can."

Nino gave a nod, and the two of them started jogging after Alya.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Manon! Manon, no! Manon, put that down before you break it!" Marinette raced after the five-year-old, leaping over her family's sectional in order to scoop a box out of the kid's hand just before it was dropped. Sighing out relief for saving the little treasure box her mom kept on the bookshelf, Marinette stood on her tiptoes to place it on the top shelf in order to try to keep it out of Manon's hands.

She then dropped the box herself when a knock on the door startled her. Luckily, she was able to juggle and catch it at the last second. Breathing out another sigh, she walked over to the door, box tucked under her arm.

"Alya?" Marinette blinked a few times, registering who was on the other side. "Nino? A-Adrien? Wh-what are you all doing here?"

"Marinette," Manon whined, "who is it?"

"It's me, kiddo." Alya walked in and knelt down with arms open, waiting for the leaping hug Manon inevitably gave her.

"Uni! You came to play!" Manon giggled as Alya lifted her up and spun her around real quick.

"I told you that you didn't need to come here." Marinette stared wide-eyed as the boys waved and walked in after Alya.

"We know, but we figured we'd help you out with this little demon," Alya teased in a baby voice, booping Manon on the nose and causing the child to squeal with delight.

"You needed help, and it seemed more fun for us all to hang out and help." Adrien placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder and gave her the softest smile. She nearly melted.

"Thank thew- Tank you!" Marinette cringed. "Thank you, I mean."

Adrien laughed. His adorable, eyes closed, shoulders shaking laugh. It took all Marinette had to not swoon. As her body softened she nearly dropped the trinket box again. Startled back alert, she caught it and once more attempted to put it on the top shelf so Manon couldn't reach it. She stretched as tall as she could on her toes, her finger tips balancing the box on the front edge of the shelf. Adrien stepped in, rolled onto his toes, and easily pushed the box onto the shelf, his hand lingering between Marinette's for a moment.

"Like I said," he teased, "it looked like you needed help."

Marinette broke eye contact, blushing a little as she thanked him.

"No problem. Just, ya know, don't forget to ask for help sometimes, 'kay?"

Marinette shared a private laugh. "Ya know, you're not the first person to tell me that this past week."

"Then maybe you should listen." He gave her a small shoulder bump with his own, then gestured for them to get back to Manon, who was currently trying to fight back against two Tickle Monsters.

Adrien instantly jumped in to tag Alya out as he also began tickling Manon's belly, causing the girl to squeal and giggle.

"What on earth happened here?" Alya pointed to the little kitchenette covered in flour, some dough splatter, smears of frosting, and a small tower of dishes. "You had a battle against the Cupcake Kingdom or something?"

Marinette rubbed the back of her head, sheepishly laughing as she shrugged. "I thought I could keep her occupied by teaching her how to make cookies."

"So you gave Manon sugar?"

Marinette shrugged.

"Girl, girl, girl." Alya pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head, a small grin stretching across her lips. "How do you keep getting babysitting gigs? I love ya and all, but you're kinda terrible at it."

"I know." Marinette folded in half in defeat, causing Alya to chuckle.

"Girl, it's fine. We're here now and-"

"Oh no!" Nino called out in melodramatic terror. "I've been betrayed!"

Adrien and Manon slowly stalked after Nino before chasing him down and trying to tickle him instead. The way Adrien crept up on Nino reminded Marinette of the nightmare version Sandboy had created, and she shuddered slightly.

"Come on!" Alya didn't seem to notice Marinette's temporary unease as she grabbed her best friend's hand and dragged her to the group. The five of them had a massive tickle fight for the next ten minutes, the players each switching between Manon's and Nino's sides, depending on who tickled them last.

Eventually tickled out, and a bit exhausted from all the squealing and laughter, they all collapsed on the sectional. All of them but Manon, that is, who recovered after a few deep breaths.

"That was fun! What's next?" She bounced over to Marinette, grabbing her hands and tugging.

"Next?" Marinette whimpered, and scanned the room for the living room clock, checking to see when Mrs. Chamack should be back. "Two more hours," she muttered under her breath, but unknowingly loud enough for Alya to pickup.

"What do you want to do next, you little terror?" Alya knelt beside Manon, tapping her lap to catch the girl's attention.

Manon rambled off a long list of crazy activities, from watching a PG-13 movie to riding a pony to meeting the real Jagged Stone to defeating a villain with Ladybug and Chat Noir to swimming in a pool of chocolate pudding.

As Manon rattled off her To Do list to Alya, Adrien glanced over at Marinette. Her eyes were closed, and her head rested against the back of the sectional. Her chest slowly rose and fell, as if she were meditating. The poor girl looked exhausted.

Nino caught Adrien watching Marinette, and glanced over himself. Almost instantly, he tapped Alya's shoulder and nodded over at Marinette as well. Alya kept chatting with Manon, keeping the girl's attention on her as Alya quickly stole a look over at Marinette.

"That all sounds amazing! What a day!" Alya indulged Manon as she stood up. "You think we can fit it all in before your mom gets back?"

As Manon was distracted by the mental calculations on how much time they had for everything, and potentially narrowing her list a touch, Alya mouthed over to the boys 'did she fall asleep?'

Discreetly, Nino leapt over the back of the sectional, and walked around to Marinette. He leaned in close, whispering her name. She simply gave a soft moan back. He nodded at Alya, who silently chuckled.

"Hey, Manon. It's super nice outside. Wanna go play in the park for a little bit?"

"Yay! Park!" Manon bounced up and down before turning to Marinette. Then she abruptly stopped. "Marinette?"

"Looks like Marinette needs a couple of minutes, but you and I can still play in the park right? Maybe with Nino too?" Alya again knelt so she could talk softly in the girl's ear.

"But Marinette's supposed to be watching me." Manon scooped up Marinette's hand and gripped it tight, causing the three teens to hold their breath; waiting for Marinette to bolt awake. Instead, she gave a little snore and sleepily squeezed Manon's hand back.

"Come on, Manon," Alya coaxed. "Marinette's tired. Your mom won't mind, and wouldn't you rather be in the park? Marinette can join us once she wakes up."

"Um." Manon looked up at Marinette, then over at Nino and Adrien. Both boys smiled and gave reassuring nods. "Nino is coming too?"

"Yeah, little dudette." He held out his hand for Manon to fist bump, which she gladly did.

"And Adrien?" Manon looked up at him with doe eyes.

"Sure." Adrien smiled.

"Actually," Alya rebutted, "Someone should stay here and start cleaning up. Adrien, do you mind doing that?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sure." Adrien's smile stayed, but he felt like he was getting ditched.

"Great. Manon, why don't you pack up your backpack so we have all of your toys, okay?" Alya gave the girl a gentle push on her back, and the five-year-old skipped away to gather her things. Alya then turned back to Adrien. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver. We really need someone to stay here with Marinette. That way you can let her know where Manon is – and that she's safe – when she wakes up. Also, that way someone can text us if Manon's mom gets back before we do."

"Okay. I can do that."

"And don't worry about the kitchen if you don't want to clean. We just need someone with Marinette is all."

Adrien's smile turned sincere. "Nah, it's okay. It really does look like Marinette needs help, and I'm happy to."

"I knew you would be." Alya gave Adrien a quick air-kiss by each of his cheeks. "You're a prince."

"Alya!" Manon pulled on her hand.

"Okay, munchkin." Alya scooped the girl up in her arms and headed for the door. Nino held it open for the girls, and rested a hand on the small of Alya's back as she passed. "Thanks again, Adrien," Alya called past her shoulder, and Adrien couldn't help but feel like those two were playing house with Manon, and he was playing babysitter with a passed out Marinette. The thought made him laugh as he waved the couple off.

Behind him, Marinette gave a soft, satisfied moan, and slumped further into her seat. Adrien blushed a little at how adorable she looked. As careful as he could, he cradled her head and gently lowered her so she was laying across the cushions. Looking around, he found a throw blanket and draped it over her. She gave another satisfied moan and curled tighter under the blanket.

She truly looked exhausted. Adrien wondered what else she had overburdened herself with, and why she didn't seem to have learned anything from when he helped her make flowers. It made him think of Ladybug and her new responsibilities as Guardian. He wondered how exhausted she must look without her mask.

"You two are two of a kind," Adrien joked as he brushed some stray hair out of Marinette's eyes. Sleepily, she rolled her head to follow his fingers, nuzzling his hand. It instantly stilled him. He watched her sleep for a few seconds, musing about how relaxed she looked right then. It was like when they were traveling to London together; one of the few times she didn't seem stressed out around him. Before he realized what he was doing, his hand was on her back, rubbing small circles through the blanket, trying to soothe her further. He didn't even know he was wishing for another soft, happy moan until one escaped her lips.

He stayed kneeling beside Marinette, softly rubbing her back, for a little while, hoping the comforting touch would keep her lulled in her sleep. She looked like she needed as much as she could steal. As Chat Noir, he understood how precious sleep could be.

Roughly twenty minutes after Alya and Nino left with Manon, Adrien's feet finally started to lose feeling, and his shoulder softly ached from the angle he was holding it to rub Marinette's back. Giving up on his impromptu task, he instead rocked back into a seated position, his back against the sectional, and his head nestled by Marinette's abdomen. He simply glanced out the window, enjoying the clouds drifting by, and the sound of Marinette's slow, heavy breathing behind him.

It wasn't what he was picturing when he found out he had an afternoon to spend with his friends, but he was happy all the same. There was something about being near Marinette; being able to help her, being in the same room as her, having someone besides Plagg nearby – nothing against the kwami or anything.

As if the magical being could read Adrien's head, Plagg poked out of the teen's shirt. "Psst. Adrien. Are we gonna do anything? I'm bored and hungry."

"Plagg! Stay hidden! What if Marinette wakes up?" Adrien hissed back.

"At least start up the TV or a game or something? Even I can only catnap for so long. It's so boring."

"It's not boring. It's nice. I feel relaxed here."

"Can you at least get me some food?"

Adrien looked over at the kitchenette. He probably should help clean it up the best he could while he was waiting; help Marinette further. Maybe he could also find something little that Plagg could swipe without anyone noticing, that way he could save the camembert slice for if they had to battle an akuma.

He walked over to the sink, looked around for a minute, found a washcloth, wet it, and started wiping down the peninsula counter top. While Plagg complained about it being too sweet for his tastes, he still licked up the blobs of frosting and raw dough, just so he had something in his belly.

The counter was nearly clean when Marinette again moaned from the sectional, this time a deep and long one as she woke up.

"Manon?" she called out in a daze.

"She's at the park with Alya and Nino," Adrien informed her as he continued his wipe down of the kitchen.

"Okay," Marinette yawned and curled back under the blanket for a second. Then everything registered, and she leapt up, flinging the blanket off her. "Wait, she's where?" She whipped around, and saw only Adrien still in her apartment with her. She was alone with Adrien. Adrien had seen her passed out again. Adrien was washing down _her_ mess in _her_ kitchen.

"It's cool." Adrien hadn't seen her freak out, too busy focusing on a particularly caked on portion of the counter. "You looked like you really needed a rest, and Alya and Nino are great with kids. Alya said you and Mrs. Chamack would be cool with them taking Manon for a little bit."

"Wh-what are you doing?" Marinette stiffly marched to the counter, dumbly watching Adrien as he rinsed off the washcloth and attacked the splashes of dough that managed to spray across the front of the refrigerator door. As he walked over from the sink, he plucked one of the remaining cookies off a plate.

He held it up and glanced past his shoulder at Marinette. "Is it alright to have one?" She numbly nodded, so he popped it in his mouth. "Mmm. I don't think I'll ever get over how good your baking is."

"A-Adrien." Marinette held herself up against the counter as she rounded it. "Why are you cleaning?"

"Hmm?" He paused to steal a glance over at her before shrugging and getting back to scrubbing down the refrigerator door. "Oh. Alya wanted someone to stay here to make sure you and Mrs. Chamack knew where Manon was. Going to the park was her idea, so clearly Alya couldn't stay, and it made sense for Nino to go with."

"Yeah, but-" Marinette gestured towards the refrigerator.

"It needed to be cleaned, right?"

"Right." Marinette drew out the word. "But why are _you_ cleaning it? It wasn't your mess."

"I don't mind." Finished with the door, Adrien again went to the sink to refresh the cloth. Marinette jogged up behind him, her arms out to the side to block him when he turned around. "It's okay, Marinette. You looked overwhelmed, and I had nothing better to do. It's not that big of a deal. Friends help each other, don't they?"

"You're too kind, Adrien."

"It's not that big of a deal, seriously. You'd do the same."

"Yeah, well, I'm awake now. I can finish this." She held her hand out for the washcloth.

Adrien rebutted by opening the cabinet he got the cloth from, and gestured to a few others stacked inside. "Or, we can clean it together and get done faster?"

"Adrien, no. You're a guest. This is too much. I can't ask you to do this."

"You didn't ask. It's not too much. And I want to spend time with you anyway, so we might as well spend time doing this."

"You- you want to- with- with me?"

Adrien cocked his head to the side. "Is that so surprising? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah." Marinette moved past him, a bit defeated, and picked up a washcloth. "Friends."

They were silent for a little while, each picking a different corner of the kitchenette to clean. Adrien wondered what he said wrong. Marinette focused too hard on the word 'friend' and all its implied meaning.

"Okay, well, thanks for helping with the kitchen." Once the surface areas were cleaned, Marinette collected Adrien's washcloth from him, and rinsed them both off in the sink before putting them to the side to be washed. "You can go ahead and find Alya and Nino. I'm sure you'll have more fun with them."

"I'm having a good enough time here." Adrien sidled beside her and picked up the dish soap. "Besides, we still have these to clean, right?" He began filling the sink, and squirted far too much soap into it, the bubbles already starting to froth up the sides of the basin.

"Adrien!" Marinette giggled as she snatched the soap from his hands. "What are you doing? That was way too much!"

"Oh." Adrien looked at the sink nearly filled with suds within those few short seconds. "Sorry. I never actually did dishes before."

"So you thought you'd start with mine?" Marinette was too focused on the task of decreasing the bubble surplus to remember who she was talking to. There was a playfulness in her voice that Adrien rarely was on the receiving end of, and it skipped his heart for a second.

"Here. Let me help." With a mischievousness twinkle, Adrien scooped up a handful of suds, and smacked them in Marinette's face.

She gasped at the attack, giggled, and scooped up her own handful to throw at Adrien. He ducked, swooped around her, scooped up more suds, and went for her face again. She squealed like when they were in their massive tickle war, and ducked below his arm, throwing her hands up to stop him. The suds ended up plopping on her head, and she again gasped.

Her eyes narrowing, she dove for the sink, dodging Adrien's attempt to block her. She threw soap at him, but he shielded himself with his hands. It was now Adrien's turn to go on the offensive, but the sink water had risen higher than he realized. When he scooped up the handful of soap he ended up splashing Marinette instead. She retaliated, grabbing the sink hose and spraying him with a few squirts.

The two teens laughed as their battle continued, only stopping when Marinette noticed that the sink was about to overflow.

"So much for helping you clean up the kitchen." Adrien wiped his face dry as he looked around at the water and soap bubbles pooled on the floor.

"Yeah, I think we got a little carried away." Marinette turned off the water, then pulled out a towel and dropped it to the floor to sop up the puddles.

"It was fun, though." Adrien knelt down to take the towel from under Marinette's foot, and began to run it across the tiled floor to help clean again.

"Yeah. It was. Thank you, Adrien." Her cheeks flushed, and she whipped around towards the sink to hide her blush. Humming to herself, she began washing the dishes.

Adrien sweetly looked up at her as he finished his chore. There were only a choice-few times that Marinette seemed so relaxed around him. Well, around _him_ him, she was fairly chill around Chat Noir him. It was always amazing when Marinette let her wall down; when she allowed herself to just be comfortable around him. He always had the best time with her when she was like that.

Nino would always be his best friend, but even around him, Adrien felt a sort of obligation to act a certain way. He had to focus on what it was like to be a "true teen" and follow Nino's lead whenever he pointed out how sheltered Adrien was. It was hard to tell Nino that there were parts of his life he was actually fine with. His BFF would just argue back that it was because Adrien didn't know any better.

Alya was also cool, but she was so high energy. It was actually a little exhausting trying to keep up with her sometimes. Plus, she always seemed to have a hidden agenda whenever they hung out. Adrien didn't hold it against her, and in fact found it part of her that he loved, but it could be a bit much. He had to have his guard up at all times around her, for fear that she'd catch a whiff of him being Chat Noir.

Kagami was also an amazing friend, but she was just as sheltered as he was. Whenever he was with her, he felt like he had to be purposefully rebellious to help show her how to have a good time. A way for them to break away from their overbearing parents. She also was too focused on what was considered 'noble' or 'proper' and seemed a bit judgmental when he wanted to just play video games or talk about comic books. Kagami certainly was not the friend to talk pop-culture with.

Marinette, though? Adrien could truly be himself around her. She didn't seem to ever really judge him, or see him as a rich shut-in, or try to pry into his life. She just let him be whomever he was. He could be serious, or goofy, or straight-laced, or a little rebellious, and she ran with it. It was almost like being Chat Noir, even out of the mask.

Better, actually. Even when he was Chat Noir, he had to be a certain way. Marinette proved that when she laughed at him crafting beside her. He had to be in superhero mode most of the time. The only exception seemed to be when his heart was broken and Marinette let him just be sad with her.

There were no such restrictions for Adrien when he was out of costume and just with Marinette.

"Here." He pulled out another towel from where Marinette grabbed the first one. "Let me dry them." He held out the towel for Marinette to place the mixing bowl in.

She studied him a moment, her lips lightly puckered and her eyes soft. Dark circles still hid under the now smudged cover-up, but she looked a bit more refreshed than she was before. Accepting the offer, Marinette placed the bowl in the towel cradle, then picked up the next dish to clean.

As Adrien dried the bowl and placed it on the counter for Marinette to put away, he watched her work. There was certainly something almost serene to her quietly splashing in over-soaped dish water, the warm glow of the setting sun casting orange rays through the window in front of them. She handed one of the mixer beaters to him, then got started on another one.

"Adrien?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. It means a lot that you spent your day away from home helping me babysit and clean up. You could have done virtually anything, but you chose this."

"No problem, Marinette. I'm always happy to help you. Honestly, sometimes I think you take on too much."

She snorted a little laugh. "You're one to talk." She gave him a playful side-eye before refocusing on rinsing off the other beater and handing it to him.

"True, but it's different with you, I think. People depend on you so much. I just worry that you put too much on your shoulders. You can tell people no, you know, if you're overwhelmed. You can also ask for help."

Marinette froze, her hands hovered above the soapy sink basin, watching Adrien carefully as he finished his drying and placing the second beater beside the first in the mixing bowl. When he turned back to her, she jumped and got back to washing out the measuring cups.

"Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Marinette didn't look at him. She kept her eyes on the dishes as she rinsed, blindly handed off to Adrien, and started up the next measuring cup. "No. Nothing. Just- I've been told that before too."

"By someone smart, I'd wager," Adrien fought to hide his smirk. Didn't matter. Marinette still wasn't looking at him.

"Yeah. Yeah, perhaps he is." She didn't want to chance adding in 'and possibly very dumb too' despite feeling it strongly. Instead, she reveled in the fact that she was helped twice that week by super sweet guys, and that one of them was the boy of her dreams, helping her clean dishes. Maybe life wasn't as out of control as she once feared when she got the Miracle Box transferred to her possession.

If life consisted of quiet evenings alone with Adrien, doing stupid little chores, Marinette would be more than happy. Adrien would be too.

* * *

~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For **Prompt Day 6: AU Day** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It kept me FOREVER to figure out what to do with the prompt 'Comfort' when I've essentially used it every chapter already. I knew I wanted to hit up Adrienette since I hadn't touched that part of the Love Square yet. I also knew that I was done with them having breakdowns (although... technically I guess Marinette did have a mini one again...) so I wanted another way to interpret the prompt other than "someone is comforting another." While I loved my husband's suggestion of a slumber party with comfy pajamas, I couldn't work out the logistics of it without fully falling in the realm of "self-indulgence" but I liked the overall feel from that idea. I then needed a way to get Adrien around a sleepy Marinette, and what better way than our poor overworked girl having to deal with hyperactive Manon? I'd be beat too.  
>   
> Hope you enjoyed, and happy belated Valentine's Day.


	5. Making the Complicated Simple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Love Square is as complicated as it's always been, with Marinette only in love with Adrien, and Adrien only in love with Ladybug. Tikki confesses that she might have a solution to the whole problem, but it ended up making things even MORE complicated. Marinette just wants a simple solution to everything.  
>   
>  **Chapter Tags:** kwami shenanigans, complicated relationships, dates, romance, Tikki, wooing, some actual fluff this time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, folks. I'm still stubbornly working on those Love Square Fluff Week prompts. We'll ignore that the event ended February 13th... It kept me nearly an extra week to decide what I wanted to do with the prompt 'AU Day', and only finally figured it out after thinking of the Ouran High School Host Club episode "Haruhi in Wonderland." While I didn't use the story of "Alice in Wonderland" as my loose AU/Crossover, I did use a well-known work of classic fiction. Can you pick up on what it was?  
>   
> In the end, it kept me the better part of another week - and about 5 different rewrites and major storytelling shifts - for me to actually get the darn thing figured out.  
>   
> I wanted to have the final 3 prompts completed before the end of February, but Life sucks, doesn't it? I AM still going to work on those final 2 prompts - 'Your Voice' and 'Reveal' - and I hope to get at least one more up this upcoming week.  
>   
>  **Day 6: AU Day**  
>   
>  **Spoilers:** _Major_ \- season 2 Rena Rouge and Carapace spoiler, Puppeteer 2 spoiler, and Zombizou spoiler  
>  _Minor_ \- Felix spoiler, Frighteningale spoiler, and Dark Cupid spoiler  
>  **Love Square Side:** Adrienette and MariChat (sorta)  
>  **Romance Level:** Collapsing Love Square; attempts to woo  
>   
>  **WARNING:** This story is probably going to feel trippy until you "get" it.

There he was: Adrien. The love of Marinette's life, although she could never find a way of letting him know, despite her many attempts to do just that.

"Marinette?" Tikki chirped from Marinette's purse.

The teen kept staring longingly at the street poster of Adrien, debating how much trouble she'd be in if she swiped it. Adrien was posed a little seductively, his elbow resting on a counter just behind him, and his other hand running through his hair as he gave a cheeky grin to the camera; his eyes a little heavy. He filled the full poster, meaning he was also life-size. Marinette felt the temptation to lean into the public advertisement board outside their school and just place a long kiss on Poster-Adrien's lips. Germs and embarrassment kept her from following through.

"Marinette!" Tikki tried again. "Just go to him and tell him how you feel."

"You mean like I did at the wax museum?" Marinette snarkily replied.

"Um." Tikki sheepishly tucked herself further inside the purse. "Maybe not so dramatically? I'm sure a simple 'I really like you, Adrien' will work."

"You know I can't do that." Marinette slumped against the poster so her head was nestled against the arm Adrien was leaning on.

"Just try. Use the poster. Tell him how you feel, but, maybe keep it simple. Like you did in the Valentine, or when you made that video to try to cheer him up."

"Tikki-" Marinette looked down at her kwami, but Tikki simply waved for her to go on. Looking around, Marinette discovered she was alone. The streets were surprisingly empty for such a sunny afternoon. She checked her phone to see if there was an akuma alert she somehow missed, but all she saw was a white screen with black font reading 'NOTHING WRONG'.

Shrugging it off, she deeply inhaled, plotting out what she'd say. Turning to the poster, Marinette became just as shy and warm as she normally would be around the actual Adrien.

"Adrien," she started meekly, "I need to tell you something. I should have told you this long ago. I love you. I've loved you practically since we first met. You are amazing, and I hope you know that."

"That was perfect, Marinette!"

Marinette looked at her friend upon Tikki's encouraging words. A smile slowly grew on her face, her cheeks pinking.

"It was very sweet," Adrien's voice chimed in.

Marinette jumped, and looked up at the poster. Adrien had shifted in it. He was standing upright instead of leaning on the counter, and his one hand was rubbing the back of his neck instead of combing through his hair. His shoulders were hunched, and his cheeks were lightly flushed.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette squeaked in disbelief.

"It's a shame that I only think of you as a friend, but I appreciate how much you care about me." Adrien stepped down from the poster, rested a hand on Marinette's shoulder, gave her another soft smile, and then walked over to his father's awaiting town car. He waved her goodbye, and climbed into the back seat.

Behind Marinette, the poster restored to Adrien seductively posing against a counter.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"I told you dozens of times already, Chat Noir. I'm in love with another boy." Ladybug leapt from one roof to another, her partner racing beside her.

"I know, but isn't it hard to never be able to tell him who you really are? Meanwhile, I already know about your superheroing, M'lady."

"First of all, Ladybug isn't who I really am. Which means it's actually _you_ who doesn't know the real me." She stopped to scan the horizon. A large dust cloud kicked up from a street about a kilometer away. That was where the akuma must be. She started off in that direction.

Chat Noir quickly followed. "That's very true, Bugaboo, but wouldn't it be better to be able to talk to your boyfriend about how stressful being a superhero and Guardian is? Plus, I would understand if our dates had to be cancelled because of akuma attacks."

"We wouldn't be able to have dates. We don't know who the other is."

"I set up that picnic on the rooftop once. We could do that as dates. And I don't mind not knowing who you are under the mask. I like a little mystery to spice up my relationships." He landed beside her on another rooftop and winked.

She giggled despite herself, then waved him off with a stern arm slash through the air. "We don't have time for this, Chat Noir!" She scanned the area. It was a wreck, but there was no akumatized supervillain anywhere that she could see. She didn't spot any hurt civilians either, so that was a positive.

Behind her there was a loud rumble. She turned in time to see another large dust cloud.

"He moved this way, hurry up! And no more talk about us dating. You need to give that up, Chat Noir!"

Hooking a flag poll sticking out of a nearby building, she swung herself towards the villain. She never actually found it, but saved the day none-the-less.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"Okay, enough!" Tikki shouted as Marinette looked longingly at the Adrien collage on her desktop.

"Tikki? You okay?" Marinette pushed away from the desk as she turned to her irritated friend. She had never seen Tikki so riled up before.

"You've been in love with Adrien for months, and nothing has changed. Yet you keep turning Chat Noir down because you can't think of anyone besides Adrien. Clearly you aren't going to move on, are you?"

"N-no. No, I'm not, but-"

"No buts." Tikki crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head. "That's all the answer I need." She sighed audibly, hanging her head. "I didn't want to tell you this because I don't like using it, but as the Kwami of Creation, I can even create feelings. I can make Adrien fall in love with you if you really want me to."

"You can?" Marinette leapt from her chair, scooping Tikki up and practically pressing the little being against her nose. "You truly can?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes! Please, Tikki? Please? I'll do anything!"

"You do understand that if I do this you can never be sure if it's my magic that makes him love you or if he truly does. Are you prepared for that?"

"Tikki, it's Adrien! Please. I just want him to love me back. Then we can get married, and have three kids, and a hamster. And he'll be my personal model, proudly showing off his wife's amazing work. And then we'll retire to a private island and spend the second half of our lives just cuddling with each other. And-"

"Okay! Okay. I'll do it. You're lucky I love you, Marinette." Tikki pouted as she gave her holder a long side-eye.

"Oh! Thank you, Tikki! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She placed a large kiss on Tikki's cheek and nuzzled her kwami.

"Fine. I'll be right back." She giggled off the affection Marinette poured onto her, then zipped through the wall.

Almost instantly, Tikki dashed back through, in a panic.

"Tikki? What's wrong? Did someone see you?"

"This is bad. This is very bad. I'm sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to what?"

Above them, there was a tap on the skylight.

Marinette didn't remember climbing to the roof. She was just there, as if she had teleported to her balcony. She wasn't confused, though. She leaned against the railing and looked across the Seine at the Notre Dame.

"Good evening, my princess." Chat Noir cooed behind her, making her jump.

"Evening, Kitty. What are you doing here?"

"I had something very important to tell you." Chat Noir knelt before her and scooped up her hand with his left. In his right was a single red rose. "Marinette, I love you."

"You- you what?" Marinette screeched.

"I don't know why I never saw it before." He stood up, her hand still in his, and he inched closer. "You have hair dark as night, but eyes as vibrant as bluebells. You're kind and brave. You're amazing, Marinette."

There was something about the softness in Chat Noir's voice that last sentence. He quickly flickered into Adrien before flashing back into Chat Noir. She blinked a few times, but the image of Adrien didn't return. As Marinette studied the artificially-green eyes hidden behind a black mask, she remembered exactly who it was that was confessing his love to her. It wasn't the boy of her dreams, like she would have wanted. It was her superhero partner. Marinette was baffled as to why he was confessing to her so out of the blue.

Then it came to her.

"You!" Marinette panicked, ripping her hand from his as she skirted her balcony. "You figured out- You discovered I'm-"

"In love with me too?" Chat Noir interrupted as he followed her around the small space.

"Wait. I'm-"

"I'm sorry, Marinette." Tikki chirped from her hiding space. "I cast the love spell on him instead of Adrien by mistake."

"He doesn't know about Ladybug?" Marinette didn't worry about whether or not Chat Noir would hear her. Her balcony was empty anyway.

"No. No, he gave up on his love for Ladybug in favor of you. That's part of the spell."

"Oh." Marinette wasn't sure how she'd handle Chat Noir's affections towards her civilian self, but at least being Ladybug would be easier.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"So what's the plan, L.B.?"

Ladybug was hiding with Chat Noir inside an alley. A red water bottle with black spots was cradled in her hands. She looked around the alley. Nothing. She poked her head out of their hiding spot slightly, scanned, and noticed an abandoned car with the driver's side door open. The nearby light post also looked promising, as did a small patch of sidewalk lining the Seine that had chips and some deterioration already in it.

"Almost got it. I just need to-" She continued scanning. There were a lot of potential pieces to the puzzle, but they didn't quite fit together yet.

"No problem." Chat Noir took his stick off the small of his back, extended it, and whipped it around himself as he prepared to use it as a weapon. "I'll keep the akuma occupied. How much more time do you need?"

"Um..." She should have had the solution already. She just couldn't get it all to connect. She was distracted. "Spare me as much time as you can. I'll let you know once I've got it."

"Works for me. Catch ya in a little bit, Ladybug." No wink. No pun. No pet name. He just did a leaping forward roll out of the alleyway, swinging his stick like a bo staff around him to make sure the coast was clear. He then ran to his right.

He hadn't called her a pet name or otherwise flirted with her the whole attack. Chat Noir was still a little playful and liked showing off his skills, but it wasn't the same level as how he normally acted. He was mostly focused on the akuma. It was weird.

"Pound it."

Ladybug held her fist out for Chat Noir. The water bottle wasn't in her hand anymore. A woman whose face Ladybug couldn't make out was kneeling in the middle of the street. The magical ladybugs had already returned the street lamp, car, and sidewalk to the way they were before.

"Until next time, Ladybug." Chat Noir was more attentive of their Miraculouses beeping, and didn't bother trying to stick around despite the time-crunch, unlike how he normally would. He didn't call her 'M'lady' or bow or try to kiss her hand. He simply gave her a quick two-finger salute, then turned to leave.

"Wait!" It was weird. Having him not flirt with her was nice, but also felt very wrong.

"Something wrong, L.B.?"

Yes. Something was terribly wrong.

"You, uh, you didn't flirt or call me M'lady or Bugaboo or anything."

"You don't like those things." His eyes narrowed, and an eyebrow quirked up.

"True. I was- I guess I just wondered- You're okay, right?"

"More than okay." He grabbed her hands, and everything felt normal finally. "Ladybug, I'm in love."

"I know you are, but-"

"Marinette is just the most amazing girl, isn't she? Thank you for introducing us!"

"Wait, what?" So the spell truly did wipe Chat Noir's love for Ladybug and replaced it with undying devotion for Marinette instead.

"Don't worry, Ladybug. I'll be careful with my identity." His ring beeped. "Whoops. Gotta go! Take care." He again saluted her and dashed off.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"I fixed it." Tikki phased through the window and landed on Marinette's lap.

"You what?"

"Adrien. I-"

There was a tap on the skylight, increasing in intensity and pace the longer Marinette ignored it. She glared at Tikki, who cringed as she shrugged.

"What is it, Chat Noir?" She was on her balcony, and he was again kneeling before her. His left hand on his heart, and a small bouquet of flowers in his right.

"For you, my fair princess in the high tower." Chat Noir plucked one of the flowers out of the bouquet, and tucked it in her hair behind her ear. "Want me to make you a crown with the rest?" He winked. She hadn't realized how much she missed his winks.

"This is very sweet of you, Kitty-cat, but I'm sorry. I can't accept these." She gently pushed the flowers away as she took a step back. "I- You see, I-"

Chat Noir's whole body slumped, and he studied his bouquet as if he could figure out why they were wrong. He had been so happy a couple of seconds ago, and now he was this poor, wounded thing. Marinette knew she should just tell him she loved someone else, but she couldn't find the heart to break him further.

"I can't date you because you're a superhero," she blurted out. "I, uh, I appreciate the gift, and it means a lot to me that you care so much, but it wouldn't feel right. Ya know, without us being able to actually date or anything."

"Who says we can't date?"

"Wait, what?" She thought she already had this discussion with Chat Noir as Ladybug. "I mean, it's obvious, isn't it? We can't very well hang out in public together. What if Hawkmoth finds out? I- I could be used against you somehow."

"Do you need us to be out in public for our hang-outs to be dates? I can still spend time with you, can't I? And I can still show you Paris without anyone else seeing us."

Marinette folded her arms and raised her eyebrows at him.

Without a word, Chat Noir smirked, and scooped her up in a bridal carry. He then pivoted, and placed her back on her feet, his hands protectively remained on her waist.

They were on the roof of the Notre Dame, watching the Seine drift around the sides, and the lights sparkle in the waters.

"What do you think of the view?" Chat Noir leaned close to Marinette's ear, sending a small chill across her neck.

"It's gorgeous." As Marinette watched a small ferry float down the river, she leaned against the golden angel statue on the roof of the Palais Garnier. The impressive vocals of the opera performance permeated the glass dome.

"Amazing," Marinette sighed.

"See?" Chat Noir playfully purred. "I'm even the sophisticated sort. Bet you weren't expecting that."

Marinette giggled, and turned to look at Chat Noir. The glittering of Paris spread out before them from atop the Eiffel Tower. She walked around the observation deck outside of Gustave Eiffel's office. It was certainly lovelier without a horde of kiss-obsessed "zombies" coming after them.

As if summoned, Chat Noir stood firm against the kissing zombies. His stick fully extended across the width of the balcony to hold back the dazed reach of the brainwashed citizens pouring out of the elevator. Chat Noir's cheek had lipstick marks, but he hadn't fallen under the spell yet.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette ran up to him, and cupped his cheek with a gloved hand; red with black spots.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." He smiled at her, and the horde disappeared behind him. The lipstick marks remained, but he now stood tall before her, with soft, heavy-lidded eyes.

"You trust me that much?"

"More than you know." He took her bare hands in his own.

"Probably." She squeezed his hands, and waited to feel him squeeze back. "You're also a lot sweeter than I give you credit for. You're one of my best friends, Chat Noir, but- but I think you're more than that. I love Alya and Nino and all, and I trusted them with Miraculouses-" Marinette didn't care about identities anymore. This needed to be said, and nothing was going to hold her back. "-but I don't have the same bond with them as I do with you. I'm completely lost without my kitty. Even when I do have to fight alone, it's usually with the resolve to do whatever it takes to bring you back to me."

She stepped towards him, and he to her. They pressed their foreheads together, each closing their eyes to fully experience the touch. The gentle rumble of the Seine beneath their feet accompanied the soft rattling of the Lover's Locks along the wired fencing of the Pont des Arts.

"So let me stay with you." Chat Noir whispered. His voice was pleading, but with a strange bravado to it that nearly caused Marinette to whimper with yearning. "I just proved I can take us on dates without anyone else knowing. We have other ways of announcing our love to the world."

They pulled away from each other, and Chat Noir held out an open padlock on his palm. 'CN + MD-C' were carved along the side. Her hand shaking, Marinette grabbed the keys to the padlock, and hurled them into the Seine. She turned back to Chat Noir, but the initials on the lock now read 'AA + MD-C'. His gloved hand was bare. Marinette hovered her hand over the lock, wanting so desperately to attach it to the fence.

Instead, she quickly closed Chat Noir's re-gloved fingers around the lock, and gently pushed his hand away. The sound of rushing water was replaced by gentle traffic. The Notre Dame was behind Chat Noir. They were back on Marinette's balcony.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. I can't. It's- it's not just about the dating. I should have just told you before, but- but I love someone else." She screwed her eyes tightly shut. She couldn't bear to watch him get hurt again because of her.

"You- but-" His gasps choking down tears forced Marinette's eyes open. Chat Noir's cat ears folded low against his head, and his belt tail hung limp behind him. "But, everything you just said."

"I know. If- if I didn't- If I hadn't already-"

Chat Noir's shoulders curled forward, and he wouldn't hold eye contact with her. "I wish you would consider me, just once."

She reached out to cradle his face, and he leaned his cheek into the touch. As she raised his head, his mask and cat ears disappeared, and his bangs swept out of his face. Adrien looked at her with hurt, piercing eyes. Begging her to love him. She jumped, and dropped her hand from Adrien's face. His head lowered again; once more Chat Noir.

"Who?" he choked out, "Please at least tell me who it is you love."

"It's not important-"

"It is to me. Please."

Baby-doll eyes. Who taught him that she was weak to baby-doll eyes?

"Adrien Agreste," she breathed. "But before you say anything, it's not because he's a model or rich or the son of my favorite fashion designer! It's because he's sweet, and funny, and cares for his friends."

Chat Noir's cat ears shot up, and his belt tail prickled behind him. "But I- I saw him with Kagami. He loves her, not you! I'm the one who loves you!"

"That doesn't matter, Chat Noir." Marinette's voice had a bite to it. "Of course all I want is for Adrien to love me, but whether or not he loves me back doesn't stop me from loving him."

"Marinette?" A sweet voice called up from the street below.

"Oh, no." Tikki muttered, and hid further inside Marinette's purse.

Marinette leaned over her balcony railing. Standing a few meters below, Adrien's face brightened upon seeing her.

"Marinette! Love of my life! Girl of my dreams!"

"I- uh- what?" Marinette held herself upright against the railing.

"May I come up, my love?" Adrien gestured towards the railing. When Marinette numbly nodded, he easily vaulted up and over the railing, landing beside her on the balcony.

"Hey!" Chat Noir snarled behind Marinette, reminding her that he was still around. "What are you doing here, blondie?"

"Why, confessing my undying love for Marinette, of course. What about you, you stray cat?" Adrien spat back at the superhero.

"Um..." Marinette tried to interject, still trying to process Adrien calling her the love of his life.

"I confessed _my_ love for her already! You have Kagami, so give up on Marinette."

"Uh, Chat Noir-" Marinette attempted to intervene again.

"And what about your love for Ladybug?" Adrien demanded. "We both know that Marinette truly loves me, so you stick with your partner and leave Marinette for me."

"Actually-" Marinette ventured.

"I have no love for Ladybug! Who could be more perfect than Marinette? You need to stop pulling her along, Agreste, so that she can move on to a real man!" Chat Noir stepped closer to Adrien, who didn't flinch.

"Chat Noir, that's uncalled for-" Marinette pulled a little on Chat Noir's arm to try to separate the boys.

"I'm not pulling her along! You are, with this claim that you gave up on Ladybug." Adrien moved closer to Chat Noir, unintentionally pinning Marinette between them. "Why are you teasing her like this? I thought you were better than that!"

"Adrien!" Marinette chided. "He's not doing anything like th-"

"I thought _you_ were better than this! Keeping her hanging on so you can feel better about yourself, knowing that at least Marinette is pining over you."

"Seriously?" Marinette demanded as she pushed back against both boys. "Are you two insane?"

"Prove to me how much you truly love her." Chat Noir jumped away from Marinette, took his stick off his lower back, extended it, and twirled it impressively around his hand before taking a fighting stance. "Fight me for her!"

"Excuse me?" Marinette glared at Chat Noir. "What on earth are you thinking? First of all, no one is fighting over me! How archaic! Secondly, you're a superhero, and he's a civilian. What if you hurt him?"

"I accept." Adrien stood in full fencing gear behind Marinette, his saber in hand, already prepared to lunge.

"You _what?_ " Marinette screeched. "No! Nope! Nuh-uh! Not. Happening. You two need to stop this. Right now!"

"I am so, so sorry, Marinette." Tikki's soft voice leaked from inside Marinette's purse. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Yeah, well, now what am I gonna do, Tikki?"

The two boys charged each other, batting away the other's weapon with their own. Sparks flew off the metal clashing. Adrien kept firm footing, pushing Chat Noir back easily. The superhero went more unconventionally with his attack as he leapt onto the balcony railing, then flipped over Adrien's head, and landed behind him. Adrien was too quick, though, and easily countered Chat Noir's attack.

"Stop it!" Marinette screamed at them. "You two are acting ridiculous! Stop this right now!" She whipped her Ladybug yo-yo at each of them, knocking Chat Noir's stick, and then Adrien's saber, out of their hands and over the balcony railing. She then lassoed them together.

"Marinette?" The two asked slightly off sync of each other. It had an odd echo effect to it.

"Enough! I don't want any of this. I would never want someone to literally fight for me. You both should know me better than that! My emotions are _mine_ and I will love whom I love regardless of some idiotic battle." She released them from her yo-yo's string; the weapon vanishing as soon as she caught it.

"Then which one of us do you love?" Adrien stepped away from Chat Noir, but kept his distance from Marinette.

"Yes. Is it truly him?" Chat Noir stood tall beside his rival, gesturing towards Adrien. "Is there no way you could love me instead?"

"I-" Marinette stared at them both. "I love-" She couldn't say. She couldn't get out the name 'Adrien,' but she couldn't reject him either. "I want-" The world vanished, and it was just a white void with the three of them trapped inside it; standing on an invisible floor.

"What?" Chat Noir stepped closer. His voice was soft and gentle. Coaxing her to continue.

"What do you want, Marinette?" Adrien chimed in, his voice just as gently imploring.

"I just want this to be simple!" Marinette stomped, arms flailing. "Why can't I have both of you? Why can't you just be the same person?"

Both boys perked up, shock on their faces. They looked at each other, and held some silent conversation. In unison, they turned back towards Marinette.

"Your wish is our command," they said with impeccable unison; their voices matching perfectly, as if only one. They faded together, blending into one person: Adrien with is swooped to the side bangs, but wearing Chat Noir's costume, just as he had for the Clara Nightingale music video try-out. He also had Chat Noir's cheeky grin, but awkwardly rubbed his neck exactly like Adrien did whenever he was unsure or nervous about something.

"Do you think I'm purr-fect just like this, Princess?" Adrien-Noir asked.

"Yes." Marinette took his hands, and wrapped them around her waist. She then draped her own arms around his neck. "I wouldn't want any other but you."

"That's all I need to hear." He leaned down towards her, pulling her closer against him.

Marinette rolled slowly onto her toes, her lips reaching for his. Her fingers snaked into his shaggy hair, and his claws delicately scratched her back. Their eyes closed as their breaths mixed. Their lips brushed. The softness of his skin sending tingles through Marinette. She moved closer to press his mouth firmly against hers-

BZZZZZT. BZZZZZT. BZZZZZT.

Marinette bolted up in bed, flailing around for her phone.

BZZZZZT. BZZZZZT. BZZZZZT. BZZZ-whoomp.

Flopping back in bed, Marinette held her cell phone to her chest. She probably should get up and get ready for school, but she could afford one snooze.

She tried to grab at every image of her dream that lingered just on the edge of her mind. She wanted to thread them all back together. She remembered just starting to kiss Adrien when her alarm went off, but he was also not-Adrien. There was something more. Chat Noir was in her dream too. She vaguely recalled the different places he took her to prove they could still go on dates. She couldn't remember if she was wearing her Ladybug costume at the time, though.

There was a familiarity as well. Chat Noir and Adrien were somehow connected. Marinette couldn't recall how or why anymore, but she knew there was something that pulled them together in her dream.

"Tikki?" Marinette addressed the cork board covered in pictures of Adrien, instead of her kwami directly.

"Hmm?" Tikki sleepily replied.

"Can you make Adrien fall in love with me?"

"No." Tikki was blunt, but her voice stayed kind and comforting. "Love is something very special, Marinette. Us kwamis can't do anything against such a powerful force. We cannot make anyone fall in love, but we also cannot destroy it."

"Good." Marinette ran a hand across one of Adrien's pictures, then she brought up the Ladyblog on her phone. She quickly scrolled to a picture of Chat Noir, and zoomed in to his playful smile. "Something tells me love is complicated enough without you getting involved."

* * *

~ Thanks For Reading. Feel Free To Review And Come Back For The Next Prompt: **Your Voice** ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After struggling as to what to do for the AU while still having a cohesive over-arcing story throughout all 7 prompts, I realized I wanted to go with a dream sequence inspired by another work of fiction. As I mentioned in the opening notes, OHSHC went with "Alice in Wonderland," and I very loosely based this story on "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Did you pick up on that?  
>   
> Tikki was Puck, and Adrien and Chat Noir were Lysander and Demetrius fighting over the originally ignored Hermia. Honestly, it was tough trying to portray that since the love square only has 2 members, and the square doesn't have the same dynamic as the Midsummer one. On top of that, writing a story that felt like a dream without outwardly stating so until the end was so tricky. I wanted to give more inner monologue and reflections, but Marinette wouldn't be able to mentally reflect while also in a dream, not without going full _Inception_ with it. I also needed to edit out all non-essentials because your brain does the same thing when dreaming, and it's only your conscious mind that adds in the middle bits to make more sense of the whole thing.  
>   
> This was truly an experimental work of fiction for me. How did I do?


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